waljamada

Filming and photographing blades is so hard and balancing/holding straight a 32" nagasa blade in one hand is near impossible! Also I had a bit too much choji on it. Aoi link to blade: https://sword-auction.com/en/product/10563/as20031-刀：沼田直宗/ A short terribly shot and out of focus video in all the wrong lighting: splendid nioi-guchi!?! and a pic. I will say that Numata Naomune was big into metallurgy and even wrote books on it. This blade does have more nioi-guchi than usual which is at that layer area at the top/inner edge line of the hamon. I forget some of the names/terms but during the tempering process it creates the softer pearlite hamon area and the harder martensitic steel area. The clusters/activity in that top/inner layer kinda bordering between the pearlite hamon and martensitic steel (I believe it has its own name) but in this blade that area has more going on. It does have the most interesting nioi-guchi (as I understand it) out of any blades I have. I think a guy like Numata Naomune would try for just such things.

AlanK, Thank you very much for sharing your knowledge and thoughts on Miyamoto Kanenori and I'm glad some of his excellent works have found their way into your collection. Sounds they found the right person. This maker's life is indeed an intriguing one of note and acclaim. His designations and commissions speak to this clearly. Also, as a side note, I love the photos of him in his old age. A man who followed an art through a long life to the end.

I didn't know about the late adoption of the kuyo mon. Must make those a bit rarer as they must be on a smaller percentage of their work. If you have in Miyamoto Kanenori bladed feel free to share here if the mood strikes you. =|:^)

Anyone by chance know how to get an old picture off aoijapan.com blade posts that isnt on the archived version? I realized that the pictures of the guy who always looks at the swords at the bottom of the page is actually holding the specific blade they are selling. Now I kinda wish I copied that photo of the guy (Mr. Aoi?) holding/kantei-ing my blade.

Alan, indeed it is. Here's a cool picture of the signsture/mon on a wakizashi.

Always find these tameshigiri blades interesting and the side topic of notable testers. Notoriety in such a thing is oddly morbid but historically has it's context. The Yamadas I believe literally "wrote the book" on tameshigiri by defining/naming which cut is what. I do sometimes forget katana are firstly designed as lethal weapons.

Here's some pics I took of it to help on your quest.

Also have these, love this style of wrap.

George, Have a type 3 gunto saya kinda wrapped like that.

Geraint, I have a tsuka like that but don't know what the wrapping material is. What are those typically made of? I thought it felt maybe like leather. Your example though looks like one solid piece.

Woah....pics? I think he's got one of the cooler Artisan signatures with the circles...making a circle...

Marco, found one thats not too badly priced but it's mumei with a hozon paper attribution to him with a red lacquer mei that's not really legible (hozon paper does say mumei). Would love a signed one as I also love the symbol he uses on some of his meis. The blade I found has a few small cosmetic flaws (and obviously the mumei papered aspect hurts it) so thought I'd see if someone on the board has something.

Miyamoto Kanenori was born in Hóki, where from an early age he aspired to become a swordsmith, and entered the Mon of Yokoyama Sukekane. At first he was called Noto no Kami, and his works are seen from the Bunkyú era. Later he went up to Kyoto, and became a craftsman fort the Imperial Household.

In 1907 he created the honourable position of Teishitsu Gigein – “Imperial Household Artisan” which might be considered to be similar to today’s Ningen Kokuho or “Living National Treasure”. In the field of sword making, this award was granted to the two swordsmiths, Gassan Sadakazu and Miyamoto Kanenori. 
His work spanned 60 years and he died at the age of 97 on Taisho Jugonen Jugatsu Nijuyoka (24 Oct.1926)

Here's a laquered painted box which I'm sure is just a tourist piece that I got at a Goodwill. It's a catch all box now...

I'd say when your interest dies. When you stop learning about it. If you're not collecting the item anymore and then even stop collecting thoughts/knowledge then that is when it truly ends. The last interested thought you have of nihonto is the last breath.

I took some gambles for sure on eBay. Threw in a really low offer that got accepted on a tokubetsu hozon blade with an oshigata pic that didn't even show the right sword....turned out amazingly and everything was as said. Gambled on a seller with almost zero feedback and got one of my favorite swords. Bought a couple papered swords off a guy i could tell was a collector that I Iove. I probably just cursed myself by acknowledging this luck. I would always suggest messaging the sellers before buying, I always did and the vast majority I bought from people that used the correct terms and seemed to know their stuff which I think protected me. I've now reached a number and quality in my collection that I can slow down and not gamble as much. In the beginning I feel like gambling is or seems a better option especially when wanting to get a collection on the cheap. It's either know someone, come across a great blade in real life you can buy cheap, be left/gifted a sword, save/spend more money or gamble....makes it more difficult too that I never find or even see nihonto for sale in real life where I am. Online is my only way. Thank god for the Chicago Sword Show too. I totally agree that learning/honing an eye is key to having a chance if you do go online auctions. Also being open to ages/smiths etc...don't need a Rembrandt as your first sword...I honestly believe starting in guntos is the easiest way to start. It has everything and the market is pretty stable and has affordable ranges. You will learn all the terminology and puts mounts into a smaller field to learn but you'll get the basics. Just makes everything bite sizeable.

I have no idea if this is correct but I've questioned on a wood saya before also with an almost menuki like ornament on it and was told something along the lines of "looks like a merchant's mounts". So maybe that's a thing for merchants? If adhered well and cleanly I think it looks a classy way to spice up a saya

I asked about this blade a while ago and I remember Matthew Brice telling me something along the lines of the "traditional mounts" were put on by the previous owner (and didn't fit perfectly) in an attempt to keep the gunto mounts. The previous seller agreed during negotiation to sell it with the gunto mounts which were the actual "original" mounts...? Something along these lines.

This blade ended up going for quite an affordable price for a star stamped gendai. The koshirae did look quite nice and maybe or maybe not had some restoration. I believe those textured sayas are wood so curious if thats the case here. Also curious what it looks like in hand as I can't tell how the polish is. It's either nice with just a choji oil layer on it or someone did something that dulled the hada with something done to bring out hamon. Or just bad photography. Or it's just an old ww2 era polish....all the "or"s are what make me curious.

Wow, thank you gentleman so much, I'll put together a write up of the translations and print it off to keep with the sword. It just arrived yesturday and is really quite a blade in hand. It's in general just bigger than i thought and I actually kinda struggled or had an awkward moment taking it out of the shirasaya the first time because of its length. I got it down now though. Today I clean it, re-oil and then enjoy.

First off thank you for any help I receive with this translation! Preemptive apology because it's not a short one...its also not the longest though! This is the basics I know about the blade and might help with translation: Naomune, 1812, 32.8" nagasa, tachi mei with naginata-hi Other than that I would love to know what they thought was worth documenting in the sayagaki and the pics below are in order from top to bottom of the saya. Also just in case I also posted the aoi appraisal for additional documented info.

Congrats and welcome to the hobby!

I'm in SE Wisconsin and could sell you a sword in your price range. I'm actually about to sell three or four blades, couple wakizashi and couple katana to make room for the new ones I've purchased. Here's some pics of a few. First three pics are the Nobutaka mumei wakizashi in all leather gunto mounts with nbthk papers, fourth pic is another wakizashi signed Kanemoto (maybe gimei or just a later generation but still 3/400 yr old blade) and last one is a koto mumei over 27" nagasa in great condition type 98 koshirae with aluminum saya. Wouldn't mind helping out a fellow WI collector. I'm on vacation in San Francisco for another 5 days but can share more pics when I get home if you're interested.